Ice-remover.



No. 847,453. PATENTED MAR. 19. 1907.

v G. P. AYERS.

ICE REMOVER. APPLICATION FILED n. so. 1900,

2 SHEETS- ERRET 1. Z l g f v .&5

t i 3 "f 7 TE 2 PATBNTBD MAR. 19

Nor I G. P. AYERS.

ICE RBMOVER.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1906.

GERALD P. AYERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ICE-REMOVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed Apri 30, 1906. Serial No- 314,393.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD P. AYERs, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inIce-Removers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ice-removers, and moreparticularly to an ice-remover adapted to, remove ice from third railsof electric railways.

I'Ieretofore considerable difficulty has been encountered by theaccumulation of ice upon third rails of electric railways, whichofttimes forms to such an extent as to seriously delay or entirely stoptraffic. Various scraping devices attached to the car have been resortedto to remove the ice; but these are generally inefficient when the iceis solid on the rails, in which case it has been necessary for workmento precede the train and break up or loosen the ice with hammers or thelike. This method is not only costly, but is also very slow and causesgreat inconvenience to travel.

The object of this invention is to provide power-operated means adaptedto be attached to the motor-car and to break up the ice and remove itfrom the rail as the car moves along the track, thereby not only greatlyreducing the expense, but greatly economizing in time.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and morefully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a carprovided with an iceremover embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation ofthe car-trucks and attached ice-remover. Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary side elevation of the remover. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan orface view of the hammer, and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the hammer atthe lower limit of its movement and showing the rail in section.

As shown in said drawings, A represents a car of any preferredconstruction, and A represents one of the trucks thereof, theequalizing-bars a of which are each provided with an insulator-bar a, onwhich at the rear end thereof is a contact-shoe A of any preferredconstruction, through which the current is transmitted to the motor A Atthe forward ends of said equalizing-bars a and separated therefrom bysaid insulator-bars are the ice-removers B, each of which, as shown,comprise a pneumatic cylinder of any preferred construction which isrigidly engaged to said equalizing-bar and insulator by means ofapertured lugs 12 b integral with said cylinder and through which saidcylinder is rigidly bolted to the bar. A supplypipe 19 leads from a mainpressure-pipe B, connected with the main pressure-cylinder of the brakesystem (not shown) through the motormans cab and downwardly to near eachcylinder 1), to which it is connected by means of a rubber hose or thelike 6 thereby insulating the pipes from the cylinder. Said pipes b areprovided in the motormans cab wlth controlling-valves b, by means ofwhich the passage of air to said cylinders is controlled. The piston-rodprojects from the lower end of said cylinder directly above the thirdrail, and rigidly engaged thereon is the head or hammer C, which, asshown, comprises a rigid block of metal of a width ap proximately equalto the width of the railhead and of any preferred length. The face ofsaid hammer, as shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 6, is curved upwardlyat its end and is provided throughout the length thereof with aplurality of sharpridges or edges 0, which, as shown, extend diagonallyacross said face to enable the same to more readily break the ice fromthe top of the rail, though obviously any other desired configurationfor the face of said hammer may be provided.

Intermediate the contact-shoe A and the ice-remover B is the scraper orbrush D, of any desired or usual construction, adapted to remove anyparticles of ice which may be left upon the rail after the passage ofthe hammer C, thereby leaving the rail clean for the passage of thecontact-shoe.

The operation is as follows: Inasmuch as the ice-remover is detachablyengaged upon the car, it is obvious that when not required it may beremoved and stored away or carried within the car, as preferred. When,however, it is desired to utilize the same, it is attached to theequalizer-bar of the truck, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and is connectedwith the air-supply or other power used in operating the same. By meansof the valve 1) in the supply-pipe the hammer may be set in motion, andthe throw thereof is such that when at its lower limit it just contactsthe top of the rail E, thereby cutting through the ice for its entirethickness. Owing to the rapid reciprocation of the hammer, the ice isthoroughly chopped or broken from the top of the rail, and suchparticles thereof as are not thrown oif by the action of the hammer areremoved by the passage of the scraper or brush D, thereby leaving therail thoroughly cleaned.

While I have shown my device operated by pneumatic power, it is obviousthat, if preferred, it may be operated by electric or any motive powerused to drive the car, and obviously the car may be provided at each endwith the remover B to enable the car to be run in either directionwithout turning around.

I claim as my invention v 1. In an ice-remover the combination with aear-truck of a power-operated hammer carried thereon directly above thethird rail and means for operating said hammer to force it downwardlyinto close contact with the top of the rail.

2. In an ice-remover the combination with a car-truck of a hammersupported thereon above the third rail and having its ends rounded onthe under face and means for reciprocating said hammer.

3. In an ice-remover for third rails, the combination with a car-truckof a verticallyreciprocating hammer carried thereon and adapted to breakice from the rail said hammer having an elongated roughened face curvedupwardly at the ends.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a car of averti rally-reeip rocating hammer carried on the truck thereof anelongated head on said hammer extending longitudinally of the third railand having its ends rounded on the under face and means for operatingsaid hammer.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with a car of apneumatic cylinder carried thereon, a reciprocating piston in saidcylinder, an elongated hammer on the end thereof provided with aroughened face and upwardly-curved ends and a pressurepipe adapted tosupply power to said cylinder.

6. In a device of the class described the combination with a car and thetrucks thereof, of a pneumatic cylinder engaged on the side of thetrucks above the third rail, a reciprocating piston in said cylinder, anelongated hammer thereon extending longitudinally of the rail, means forsupplying air to said cylinder and a valve controlling the air-supply.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

GERALD P. AYERS.

WVitnesses W. W. WITHENBURY, W. O. BARNHART.

